[spoiler]Wines definitely was never a Judgement. Not only would a Judgement have the power to keep its word, but Judgements are very against mobility on the Chain, which is the only way one could become a bat such as Wines is now. Given Judgements write the laws, it also wouldn’t be possible to use law to compel a confession.
Of course, Wines’ old kingdom could have had a Judgemental backer. Who knows?[/spoiler]
[spoiler]I guess to follow up on my previous post and given the confession, do you all see Mr Wines as a good king that tried to do right by his people but failed or as a prideful and vain fool that tried to cajole respect out of his subjects with false promises?
I personally see the former given context, but maybe that’s just me being optimistically sympathetic. Ultimately, I see his refusal to abandon the Bazaar’s mission in the Passion Destiny as someone that does genuinely try to stick to his word.[/spoiler]
edited by loredeluxe on 2/3/2019
I’m having this problem as well for the last hours, and I echo your concern about risking missing content.
Alas, my game hanged just after Six accused everyone, and I lost the message! :-(
Does anyone have the echo saved for the result? I’d hate to miss the climax of the case.
edited by Six Handed Merchant on 2/3/2019
I’m having this problem as well for the last hours, and I echo your concern about risking missing content.[/quote]
I’m afraid this is now happening for me as well. :/
It’s extremely disappointing; I am at the end, my candle is at 39 actions and haven’t been able to see what happened when I accused them all or what happened after I struck the ball using the SotC option.
I’ve found the results echoed by others but I would really like to have been able to save them to my own journal as well.
It’s a real shame these server issues have to happen on a Sunday evening. I hope Sunless Skies isn’t affected as well.
I had to pick this option as well and I fully agree; it makes no sense for Renown to be lowered, that’s not how it was described when the system was introduced.
[spoiler]I think it’s kinda both. If nothing else, Mr. Wines seems to regret his actions not only because it cost him his kingdom, but also for having so wronged his former subjects. The loss is certainly part of it, but I think it’s significant that when the Confession reveals his fall from King to Beggar, the part he keeps repeating is "WE GAVE OUR WORD." Not, "we lost our kingdom," "WE GAVE OUR WORD." At least reflecting back on it, but at least as he reflects back on it now, the moral failure of having betrayed the trust of his followers and retainers weighs very heavily on him.
But at the same time, what the confession shows us that, at the very least, that betrayal was partly motivated by greed. As Wines put it, "THEY GAVE US EVERYTHING." As the narration—which as technically also Wines, seeing as this is his confession—puts it, his servants were "Hordes swindled, deceived," and he was "the merchant king whose word meant less than nothing."
So, I would interpret it as meaning Wines genuinely cared about and loved those people who swore themselves to him, but ultimately he sacrificed in service of his own greed, placing continuous short term gain above the health of his realm by making promises he knew he couldn’t keep.
One thing I think this casts in an interesting light is Wines’ revels—those down here in the Neath, that is. We’re told that he’s notorious for not paying the people he hires for his revels, which would seem to be more of what got him cast down. But when we provide for the revels, we do actually get paid—but instead of paying us himself, Wines has us loot the unconscious bodies of the revelers. We are still being paid, the promise is being kept, but Mr Wines seems to be deliberately orchestrating sources of payment that come from outside his own personal resources. His word is kept, but in a way that doesn’t reduce his ability to pay others in the future should he ever need to.[/spoiler]
This story. I’ve played every single ES since they started (and all of the regular Fate stories by now), and some I have loved dearly. But this one, I hardly find words to praise it. It is really bringing it all together, not the usual single-focus linear story at all. It is alive, rhythmical. All the little details for special qualities (all the bats, for example) are just so heart-warming. I’m not sure it matters that I’ve used the SoTC 21 option, but already the fact that there is one, it is acknowledged, is enough. The writing is top-notch. And the story itself…
Maybe the best praise I can give, is that I originally planned to try either the new content in AK’s Cultist Simulator, or Sunless Skies itself, after finishing the story. But when I was done, I just thought no. I don’t want more narrative games now. I’m deeply satisfied. The last time I felt like that in a game was when I reached the end of the Presbyterate Adventuress’ personal questline in Sunless Sea. So, yeah, kudos!
edited by SamNorrey on 2/3/2019
I’ve only been here since last June, but this story was … AWESOME. In subject matter, it hit the sweet spot of my curiosities and ambitions perfectly. But beyond that (and more importantly!!) the STRUCTURE of the investigation part was excellent!! I liked all the places you could go, and how returning to a place at a different time or with more information opened up more options. This unfolding mystery was very enjoyable on a deeper level than the other Exceptional Stories.
The only way to maybe improve it would be to have the branches that require additional information be invisible until you actually have the information. But that might also make the investigation too frustrating to some.
All in all, an excellent Exceptional Story – thank you, Delicious Authors!
If I may add yet another note to the near deafening chorus that now rises from this forum…
This story not only exceeded my expectations, but as someone who has played every Exceptional Story, and has been playing since the Devil’s looked like bug eyed monsters, please understand the weight behind my words when I say that is quite possibly the most fun I have had in years, if not all my years in this delicious world.
I also think it might be worth noting that the final decision, regarding a word whose state of repair I shall not comment upon, has left me staring at the screen for over two hours now. It is not everyday (in fact it has never happened before) that I find myself not agreeing to side with Hell as if it were some compulsion.
I can only hope that the author of this gem returns for more, regardless of its exact subject matter, I suspect it will be an enlightening, and entirely enjoyable experience!
edited by AlchemicalGod on 2/4/2019
Allow me to say that - I’m not an Exceptional Friend for long, but as a player (and as a character also, as Baruch could testifie), this was a truly amazing narrative. Pacing, content, stakes… this was something. Really something.
The game crashed on me as I was watching the cricketeer’s comeback (the golden card). Could anybody PM me the text of the first option? Much appreciated.
The card will come back eventually, it’s a permanent addition to your deck (unless you reset the story).
[spoiler]At first, I found myself randomly involved in a match of a game I didn’t know much about, and with certain parties I didn’t care about.
But the investigation soon got interesting. The way I discovered the information was funny, and it only elicited more questions. For me, that kept the story interesting until the very end.
And then, the climax. The stakes much higher than I initially thought. The moment of the impact with SotC 21? One of the most satisfying things I’ve done recently in London. And the monologue of Mr Wines, please. PLEASE.
Loved the story.[/spoiler]
As Lazaroth speaks of Mr. Wines, I also noted
Wines says he made crimson garters from comets, just like the scarlet stockings his ladies of the evening wear. It appears the Masters are creatures of habit.
I am late to the party here, but this ES was quite frankly glorious. Funny, wide-ranging and with spectacular lore payoff in its resolution, it had the gall to also display some of (at least to my armchair-critic’s eyes) the best use & integration of Storynexus’ functions I’ve seen in a long while. I don’t wanna think about how fiddly and difficult to plan it must have been.
Other stories have premises that have interested me more, or involved factions and characters that I’m more attached to, but I’m finding it difficult not to number this one among the very best.
I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the Deviless, which I haven’t seen anyone else comment on yet I don’t think - she is a minor part of the story, but I was extremely taken with her attitude & philosophy, which I think gave the usual freedom-and-rebellion devil schtick an interesting new spin.
tl;dr: yes please and also thank you!
This ES was very well crafted, and I liked how much it felt like a classic text-based adventure, without causing a ton of flailing. And the opportunity card for completing it is also very good, giving correspondence plaques or secluded addresses. (I’m not sure if the card/rewards change depending on who you accuse. I accused the Summerset Captain–“In all things, look to love.”)
[spoiler] I really don’t think we’re at a place where we can say "definitely" anything. There’s some things that don’t add up perfectly if Wines is a judgement- having a physical crown and scepter, for example- but the descriptions in the story did feel like that was what they were implying. I find it a little hard to believe one of the masters’ species (curators or not) could hold a power like Mr Wines had. We’re learning a lot about judgements in Sunless Skies, and I find it entirely possible that there would be loopholes or "fine print" so to speak that we just don’t know yet but could explain how Wines, if it was a judgement, is no longer one.
Also, if I may point out, judgements in sunless skies are called kings.[/spoiler]
edited by cadwynknivlove on 2/5/2019
edited by cadwynknivlove on 2/5/2019
Does anyone have the card requirements and what those mean or how to get them?
(1) Cricket, Anyone? 150+
(2) not having any Reason to Suspect the Benthic Captain.
[Standard Frequency]